It has become increasingly desirable to improve cooling systems in aerospace applications. Typically, cooling systems provide air conditioning, refrigeration and freezer services, and the like for commercial and other aerospace systems. In general, various known options are available for providing cooling, but such options have drawbacks that limit the design options for aerospace applications.
To accommodate the wide range of possible ambient operating conditions of the aircraft, cooling systems for aerospace applications often use a gas-based system. That is, typical cooling systems include a relatively bulky and low efficiency gas-based system in order to cover the range of conditions that can be experienced during aircraft operation.
Some known systems provide a refrigerant that is cooled in an aircraft and passes through an expander and an expansion valve, to an expansion pressure that occurs in the expansion valve. The turbine, in one known system, expands refrigerant from a high pressure to a pressure that is above the dome, and additional expansion occurs in the expansion valve. Effectively, the system is throttled using the expansion valve. However, such operation can result in significant throttling losses and a reduced coefficient of performance (COP).
Thus, there is a need to improve cooling in aircraft.